


Fly Me to the [Tides], Let Me Play Among the [Pearls]

by itsrxbekahh



Category: Haikyuu!!, 凪のあすから | Nagi no Asukara | Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Modern Supernaturals, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Fluff, M/M, Merpeople, Nagi no Asukara AU Fusion, Pseudo-Superpowers, established relationships - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsrxbekahh/pseuds/itsrxbekahh
Summary: Miyabi is another prefecture with close connections with the Pacific Ocean surrounding them...literally. Half the schools are populated with students hailing from sea villages under the surface. The volleyball clubs of each school in particular are practically filled with them.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Aone Takanobu/Futakuchi Kenji, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 17
Kudos: 56





	1. (De)Hydration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> literal 3AM thoughts coming to life bc i refuse to sleep at 1. 
> 
> sorry if it's hard to read. first time posting from ff. constructive criticisms + writing advice welcome in the comments.  
> (not really needed to watch the anime, but better understanding of the AU would make the reading a little more fun ❤️)

Sawamura Daichi was feeling particularly thirsty after a series of hard dives. His hands was stinging from the constant slapping of the gym floor, his chest hurt even as he's breathing (he's pretty sure it was heavily bruised), and he can practically feel the sweat run down his face.

He saw Suga off to the side, finishing his cooldown stretches. Daichi jogged over to him and grabbed Suga's water bottle.

"Hey, mind if I take a sip from it?"

Suga offhandedly gave his consent before remembering his water wasn't quite that normal for Daichi to drink from.

"Wait, actually-"

His warning was a bit late as Daichi already swallowed. Daichi's eyes widened at the strong taste of salt and the urge to spat the water back into the bottle was hard to ignore. It was his passing conscious that reminded him that even his boyfriend wouldn't want his regurgitated water.

So it was with great difficulty as Daichi swallowed his sip of water before delicately capping and placing Suga's bottle back on the bench. He turned to Suga with tired eyes.

"...Why?"

Suga winced at Daichi's grimace, "Sorry, Dai. My ena wasn't doing too well these days out of the water, so my mom recommended me adding sea salt to my regular bottles. Forgot to warn you..."

Daichi sighed before reaching out a hand to ruffle Suga's silvery hair.

"Don't mind, don't mind. Might just be karma telling me to stop being lazy and just drink my own water. It's not your fault, Suga."

Suga offered a smile at Daichi and patted his cheek in consolation.

"If it helps, you looked really hot doing that last dive. Thought my ena might've cracked a little from the heat."

Daichi rolled his eyes in fake-annoyance before walking away to fetch his own bottle of water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can i just say that i'm disappointed in the lack of NagiAsu AUs around here? like, NagiAsu is the epitome of modern Little Mermaid without the cringe, and i.love.that


	2. Propulsion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what time is. friday? who that? i just know when the sun rises, its morning; when the moon is out, its night. my sense of structure is so off, i dun even kno how im gonna function in college in september fucKK

It had taken one Kageyama Tobio a while to believe that yes, Hinata Shouyo was actually from a sea village and no, he wasn't lying. In fact, it went to the extent that he just dumped a bucket of freezing water on top of Hinata's orange head to personally witness the absorption of water into his skin (it shone like the _rainbow_ , what the fuck) and the redrying of his clothing to be convinced. 

Hinata had just stood there, staring at Kageyama with a dead look in his eyes.

"You convinced? 'Cus if we do this again and my stuff gets wet, I'm siccin' Suga-senpai on ya."

Kageyama flicked his eyes up to meet Hinata's, "We good. Wanna head into the gym now?"

Hinata immediately forgot about the Bucket Ordeal and his eyes shone in fervent excitement, "Yes!"

He spun around and immediately rushed forward with a burst of speed, "Watcha waiting for now, Yamayama-kun? I'm so gonna beat you this time!"

Kageyama scowled as he rushed to close the gap, "You fucking wish, idiot."

...It was to his distaste that Hinata indeed won, but he protested against Hinata's cheers that it was because he cheated.

___________________________

On a particular set, Hinata had jumped high into the air as usual to spike it over the net.

What was unusual about this set was the moment the sun shone through the window and captured Hinata's silhouette perfectly. 

Kageyama didn't know if it was the residual water (unlikely, considering just how thirsty sea-people's skin were) or if it was Hinata's ena, but whatever it was, it acted like a prism and refracted the light into millions of color. 

He squinted his eyes at the vision of Hinata surrounded by light. Time seem to freeze as he watched Hinata slowly swing his arm forward in a spike. When the volleyball finally hit the floor with a loud ' _bam!_ ', his trance ended.

The only thought in Kageyama's mind was that, just now, Hinata looked _ethereal_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look at our setter boy using big boy words. tsukishima's lessons only come to mind when kags is lookin at sunshine hinata loll


	3. Manifestations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where i voice my thoughts how only some of the characters have crazy hair colors and others don't 
> 
> (i refuse to believe hair dye is a Thing)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *some mentions of the NagiAsu cast
> 
> (note: ik nishinoya didn't dye his hair strand until second year, but i'm taking creative liberties as a fanfiction writer~)

Besides their sparking ena, there was another way you can tell whether or not someone was from a sea village or not: their physical features.

For Karasuno, it was their hair colors. In a town where black, brown, and even blonde hair was the norm, unusual hair pigments stood out as a nod to their underwater homes.

If you didn't notice Hinata's flying-jump, then you would definitely notice his orange hair. It definitely stood out among his fellow teammates.

No matter how much one Nishinoya Yuu tried to hide his origin, his singular 'dyed' blonde hair strand always took spotlight. Despite his excuses (and ena-covered skin), his 'dyed' hair strand never showed roots of his otherwise black hair.

Yamaguchi was different though; his hair colorization was actually normal. It was a normal black, shining amber brown in the sunlight. However, to close friends (read: only Tsukki allowed) and family, they would know his freckles glows brightly at night. On land, they shone a bright blue; when underwater, it was a mute turquoise color. His fellow sea-people classmates and upperclassmen jokingly say he glowed like luminescent jellyfish.

Sugawara, better known as Suga (not to be confused with South Korea's BTS's Suga), was another special case. Silver (or platinum blonde, if you're _that_ type of person), while a rarer hair color, was a lighter shade of blonde and can be argued to not be indicative of sea origin. Suga would like to politely say "Fuck you" because this is his hair and he classifies it as silver.

However, unusual hair colors was not the only method. Shiodome Miuna, an exchange student from Mihama Middle/High School in Oshiooshi, mentioned to Hinata as they finished their lab assignment, that her step-uncle and his friends all had ocean blue eyes, indicative of their ocean origins. Miuna had expressed her interests in why Miyabi's sea-people didn't have blue eyes, but had pried no further after voicing her question.

(Hinata had, at one time, thought what he would look like with blue eyes, instead of brown eyes...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NagiAsu's hibernation will be addressed in this AU, but in another chapter bc my brain has no more brain cells.


	4. Habitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried doing research to see if tokyo (as in, the city, not the entire area) was inland enough to not have easy access to beaches. tokyo bay is open to people walking along the tides, but you're not allowed to fully submerge yourself in it? idk. to any people living in japan while reading this, i'm so sorry if i butcher your geography and rules. 
> 
> this is less about haikyuu and more about how i thought sea-people would live in cities.

It's rare for anyone to find sea-people living inland. With their dependency on the salt* in water, finding apartments accommodating their needs was hard. Most of the time, such buildings were expensive and more often than not, only middle-class and above can afford the high monthly rents, in addition to paying maintenance costs for extra systems in place to ensure that their Ena remained healthy. 

Though Tokyo has several beaches nearby, daily trips to them just to refresh Ena was inconvenient for those who made the city their home. 

So engineers and architects turned to constructing underground living quarters under already-existing apartments. The government placed a limit of no more than 8 floors below sea level to prevent any sort of accidents from happening. After each floor was sectioned off into family-friendly units, and with heavy-duty utilities firmly bolted to the floor in case of natural disasters, they were flooded with seawater transported from the ocean. 

Architects thought long and hard on how to make each urban sea-partments livable, while making sure seawater flowing in was clean when filtered back out into the ocean. In the end, major construction companies agreed on building one tunnel from the ocean and having branches split off into each sea-partment.

With limited rooms available, families applying for a sea-partment room had to provide evidence to ensure their Ena was genuine. Getting to one was easier than filling out the paperwork. All a sea-person needs to do when inside the elevator is press a button labeled 'B' and a number in accordance to the floor, scan their sea-partment number, and the elevator is off. However, constant submergence and surfacing from seawater is hard on the machinery for both the elevator and elevator shaft. For this reason, a special coat was painted on top of and inside the elevator, as well as the bottom half of the elevator shaft. To address the elevator constantly filling with and emptying out seawater, holes were drilled into the bottom of it.

And if a land-dweller was visiting? Then, preparations would have to be done in advance. The visitor itself would have to wear a special outerwear to prevent salt damage to their clothing, a tube connected to a reserve of fresh air for breathing. Anything a visitor is bringing with them would have to individually wrapped in plastic bags. These days, electronics had the usual water-protectants in place, but just in case...

_____________________________

Yaku Morisuke flopped onto his bed with a sigh, a cloud of bubbles swarming his body as a result. He relished the surge in energy as his entire body fully embraced the immersion and buoyancy of water after a intense practice today.

He felt his phone buzz against his thigh in his pocket. With another sigh, he pulled out his thinly-wrapped phone out and looked at the screen to see the caller. 

He gave a wry grin at the name of Haiba Lev.

Swiping across the green icon, he chatted a bit with him and endured Lev's onslaught of complaints before consoling him (read: nagged) and ending the call. That reminded him, finals were coming...Yaku would have to prepare a small gift for Lev to better motivate him.

Yaku tossed his phone onto the floor next to his schoolbag after that thought, and settled in for a small afternoon nap. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *from my foggy memories of watching the anime, i can't remember if shioshishio people depended on salt or on water. if they just needed water for their ena, wouldn't freshwater theoretically be enough? worldbuilding off of facts barely given is harddddd y'all.
> 
> honestly, i don't know what to feel about this chapter. it's kinda chunky(?) in places, hard to read imo, but i needed something to post on my self-imposed bidaily schedule (honestly might just delete this and rewrite it). opinions/comments please?
> 
> sorry if this is hard to read, but i thought this was needed before writing about any fukurodani/nekoma ships in a NagiAsu setting. have a small snippet of levyaku in consolations.


	5. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in which i express my love for kuroken- my very first ship i made upon watching haikyuu (quickly followed by kagehina lmFAO)
> 
> note: yes, kuroo and kenma are both seapeople. see end-note.

Kenma Kozume would like to express his dislike for mornings. He slept a grand total of 3 hours before he rose early at 4 AM to continue his gaming. He only knew it was 7 AM when he heard Kuroo's loud stomps on the water-protected floor. He gave a small grunt in greeting when Kuroo rudely slammed open his door.

"Kenma! What did I say about sleeping 3 hours before practice?!"

Kenma grumpily finished his beating of the monster before answering, "...To not do it."

Kuroo dragged a hand down his face before swimming forward. He gently grabbed Kenma's arm while he turned off Kenma's PlayStation.

He heaved Kenma up -chest to chest- as he located Kenma's schoolbag. Absentmindedly, he dumped in Kenma's handheld console, a melon bread he brought over from his apartment right next to Kenma's, and some spare change into Kenma's bag before swinging it onto his shoulder next to his own schoolbag and exiting the room. Kenma pouted as his arms automatically wrapped around Kuroo's neck. 

As Kuroo made his way to the apartment door, Kenma swiped the buttered bread off the dish placed on the kitchen counter. 

Kuroo dutifully locked the door before making his way to the elevator. Kenma finished off the bread before flicking out his tongue to taste the seawater surrounding them.

"...It's really salty today."

Kuroo hummed in thought, "Tomoebi maybe?"

Kenma sighed out a cloud of bubbles, "Haven't seen one of those in a while."

"Wanna make a trip to Morito Beach?"

"It's so far, though...and isn't finals two weeks away from now?"

Now it was Kuroo sighing, "You're right, you're right. Looks like it'll be another TV Tomoebi again."

Kenma hummed in response before nestling his head on his arms. A quick 5-minute power nap while being carried by Kuro wouldn't hurt...

_________________________________

("Kenma, I am not carrying you all the way to Nekoma. Gravity is a pain in the ass when there's no water."

"..."

"Kenma. I love you and I'm saying this as your childhood friend, but fucking _get off_.")

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can see kuroken as haikyuu's answer to free!'s makoharu: you have the seme barging into his beloved uke's room basically managing their morning routine.


	6. Desalination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Target in sight, Captain Noya. Permission to shoot?"
> 
> "Lieutenant Hinata, bOMB THE FUCK OUTTA IT ALREADY."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> borderline crack headcanon comin' your way, oops  
> (my crack writing skills suck tho-)

Coach Ukai blew the whistle. At the sound of it, the entire Volleyball club stopped their warmups.

"Line up, brats!"

"Yes sir!"

Arranging themselves into a semicircle surrounding their coach, teacher supervisor, and managers standing in the doorway, they waited for Ukai's announcement.

"As you already know, volleyball is another sport that requires heavy usage of footwork, just like football, US football, and basketball."

He inclined his head to Takeda standing at his right, "Sensei here has managed to secure ourselves a 2-day slot for the pool for training purposes, starting today."

He surveyed the members with a glint in his eyes, "So...you all know what that means for today's practice."

He eyed a particular four, "Right? Hinata, Sugawara, Yamaguchi, Nishinoya?"

They immediately turned their heads away from his gaze, "...Yes...sir."

Ukai sighed at their reluctance for a pool practice; he knew they hated the feeling of chlorinated water entering their sensitive skin, but it can't be helped. Training while in the suffocating feeling of water would help strengthen and prepare their leg muscles against lively (unpredictable) teams in future matches.

He took pity on them and dismissed the team for a 10 minute break before Day 1 of pool training began.

___________________

The whistle sounded out to signal the end of their break and immediately four sea-people broke in a run for the exit.

Nishinoya led the charge with his dramatic battlecry, "Run for it! We shall never submit to their whims!"

Ennoshita startled and took the lead before their captain could, "Catch them!"

...

Kageyama took off after Hinata, who (despite his unlimited stamina) was quickly secured by Kageyama, thanks to his height.

"Idiot Hinata, don't think you can escape this one without an excuse! And no, blaming your skin doesn't work this time!"

"Kageyamaaaaa, I hate the pool! I don't even have my special protecting cream todayyyyy."

"That's a 'you-problem', not a 'me-problem', isn't it then?"

...

Yamaguchi never really went that far. He only got a few steps in for the door representing freedom before Tsukishima grabbed hold of his hand.

Tsukishima exhaled a breath, "Are you really resorting to Nishinoya-senpai's ideas to escape? I thought I taught you better."

Yamaguchi whined out Tsukishima's nickname, "But, Tsukkiiiiiiii. You know how much I hate pool water, my ena dries out so much faster after I get out."

"Deal with it. I'll treat you after practice is over if you stick with it."

"Wait, really? It better happen, Tsukki!"

"Yeah, yeah...hurry up and change into your swimwear already."

...

Daichi raced after Sugawara and reached out a hand for Suga's waist. He hugged Suga close to his body and watched Suga's vain attempts to escape with amusement. Daichi tugged Suga back as Suga dragged his shoes across the gym floor with a sulk.

Suga pouted as Daichi made him stand before Kiyoko, "I knew something was up during lunch. How could you hide this from me, Dai?"

Daichi sighed, "Suga..."

...

Nishinoya was the only one who managed to get across the threshold. With a mental cry of cheer at his success, he also gave himself a mental pat on the back for being the only one to achieve the goal.

He stopped just before the stairs leading to the changing rooms to catch his breath...which proved to be a mistake.

Nichinoya flinched when a strong hand clamped on his shoulder. With a eep, he slowly turned his head to see a Azumane Asahi darkly grinning at him.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Wait, Asahi-san -this isn't what you're thinking- you know how much I hate the pool- stop, don't come any closer- aaAHH-"

Used to his antics by now, Asahi tiredly heaved Karasuno's libero over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, "Noya, be good. You don't wanna make Daichi mad, right?"

Noya tried and failed to cross his arms. He scowled before muttering, "No."

Asahi turned and made his way back to the gym. He endured Nishinoya's rants and complaints while patting his thighs in consolation. 

___________________

Tanaka only laughed when he spotted his sea-teammates completely slathered in lotion from head to toe in attempts to protect their delicate skin from the pool's chlorine.

"My bro Yuu! When did you become a hikikomori?!"

Nishinoya gritted his teeth in embarrassment before replying, "Shut up, dude! Let's see you try to endure burning, dry skin!"

Tanaka stuck his nose high in the air and placed his arms on his waist in a smug fashion, "Ahaha! Should've prayed to God to birth me in water then!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hikikomori= term used to describe young people/adults who willingly withdraw from society; aka NEETs. 
> 
> i headcanon that sea-people absolutely abhor the pool because of the chemicals used to clean the water.


	7. Enchantation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Tsukki?"
> 
> "Shut up. Don't call me that nickname."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tsukishima was such a little shit in the beginning, but i grew to like his characterization as the manga/anime progressed.
> 
> akiteru is a god and has granted us a smiling smol tsukki, bless me.
> 
> (update is less about nagiasu, more of my shower thoughts about tsukiyama in general)

Let it be known that Yamaguchi had, and still has, low self-esteem since he started school above-water.

His scrawny physique and bioluminescent nighttime freckles didn't help. Living in the ocean gave all sea-dwellers a distinct 'fishy' scent. Coupled with Yamaguchi's introverted nature, he was a prime target for bullies to make fun of.

It was a regular schoolday for nine-year-old Yamaguchi Tadashi. The dismissal bell rung and Yamaguchi quickly started his descent down the street to the beach, where his peaceful bedroom awaited him underneath the waves.

Apparently he wasn't quick enough, if the pounding footsteps and giggling insults were any incentive.

"Hey, fish boy! Where you going? Wanna hang out~?"

"Chiba-kun! Why'd you invite him? I don't wanna go home smelling like fish!"

Yamaguchi clenched his fists and quickened his steps. Harshly wiping away his tears, he didn't check who was in front and collided with one Tsukishima Kei.

Now, Yamaguchi knew _of_ him. His aloof nature, light blonde hair, and unnatural tall height for a boy their age made him quite infamous in their year.

Yamaguchi mumbled out a "sorry" to Tsukishima. His bullies, ironically hiding themselves behind Yamaguchi, stayed quiet to see how Tsukishima would react.

Tsukishima looked over his shoulder and said, "Pathetic". And just like that, he turned away and continued on with his business as if nothing had happened.

Yamaguchi knew Tsukishima also called him pathetic. Despite that word being a common insult aimed at him, it...felt different than the other times. Tsukishima had delivered with a grace that made him look cool. 

Like all boys Yamaguchi's age, he wanted to be cool too. And Tsukishima made it seem effortlessly easy to do.

After that encounter, it was easy for Yamaguchi to escape and dive into the ocean.

Back at home, Yamaguchi resolved to make friends with Tsukishima. If not friends, then to at least establish good relations with him.

______________________

In some ways, it was and also wasn't a surprise for Yamaguchi to see Tsukishima at Karasuno High School. There was few other options for middle-schoolers wanting to stay in Miyabi for high school. Karasuno was a good middleground option when considering the powerhouses that was Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa.

"How was your summer break, Tsukki?"

"Don't call me that name," was immediately given with a, "It was boring" later following it.

In Tsukki-talk, it meant that Tsukishima enjoyed the peace that came with freedom from school. He probably spent it avoiding Akiteru-san, indulged in his dinosaur hobby, and expanding his music library in preparation for the new school year.

For Yamaguchi, he spent it lounging around his house, occasionally taking a swim with Hinata Shouyo (a fellow incoming Karasuno first year) when Yamaguchi was feeling really bored. He still wasn't really that acquainted with the hyper boy, but it fulfilled his needs to talk to someone while Tsukishima was away.

As orientation ended, Tsukishima quietly asked, "Are you thirsty?"

Yamaguchi gave a quiet chuckle, "I'm fine, Tsukki. Thanks for asking, though."

He scoffed in response.

Yamaguchi grinned a small smile as the two settled into a relaxing silence. It was true that Tsukishima was surly, rarely approachable, but times like these reminded that Tsukki really cared about him despite otherwise. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the word vomit


	8. Salination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if they actually did have blue eyes like Shioshishio's did?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a continuation from Chapter 3.  
> Developed after wondering how NagiAsu really dealt with trips away from the ocean/sources of salt-water.

"...When did your eyes become blue?" Daichi asked.

Suga huffed a breath to move a droopy hair strand out of his now-blue eyes.

"Well, we got that 5-day training camp coming soon, right? When I told Mom last night, she told me to get used to wearing saline contacts above water starting today?"

Daichi hummed a response. He leaned back in his chair to stare at the ceiling.

"You look more like a foreigner now. Even reminds me a little of Nekoma's Lev."

Suga had to wait for his brain to reboot before he recalled that too-tall-first-year Russian. Dismissing the green eyes, he could see where Daichi was going with the comparison.

He pillowed his head on his arms, before tilting his head to stare at Daichi's profile. "I guess..."

"Anyway, how does it feel?"

The dove-grey haired boy laughed at the question, "Kinda feels like I'm underwater, although the ena on my skin would like to disagree. It feels nice for the first 2 hours, but then my eyes starts getting the dry feeling again once the saline solution starts to evaporate."

"How often do you gotta refill the contacts?"

Suga raised a hand to rub his eyes. With all the questioning centered on his eyes, a itch had started to develop.

"Hmm, every 4 hours or so. The box had said it can last up to 8 hours, but I don't think I can stand the dryness that long."

Asahi entered the classroom and caught the tailend of Suga's answer. He chuckled at Karasuno's substitute setter's not-so-subtle complaint, "Looks like we're gonna have to nag Noya and Hinata then."

The other two third-years looked over at Asahi. They laughed at his remark as well. 

The three could already imagine wrangling the two energetic atheletes into taking care of their own bodies. Yamaguchi was more mindful of his body's needs, but the other two sea dwellers often forgot to refresh their skin's brittle membrane for the 'sake' of more practice.

Having fulfilled Daichi's curiosity about Suga's new eye color, the three moved onto other topics to talk about before their lunch break ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys. Thank you for paying attention to my tiny headcanon drabbles amidst the sea of other huge Haikyuu fanfics and for the current 36 kudos.
> 
> I aim to post at least once a month. That being said, if anybody has any NagiAsu!Haikyuu ideas after reading mines', feel free to comment it. Can be any length and I promise to give credit to you once I fleshed out your idea a little further :)


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